9. A Clean Slate
It wasnt the US setting of the TV Movie that sunk itit was that truly shocking opening monologue: On the planet Skaro, my old enemy the Master was finally put on trial. Within seconds, Daleks, Gallifrey, and the Time Lords thirteen regenerations have been name-checked. How the hell will THAT make sense to Joe Six-Pack in Poughkeepsie? It goes without saying: its called Doctor Who. Theres an interesting and mysterious time traveller called the Doctor and thats it. Ill leave it to the more detail-oriented whether he should wear a frock coat or the TARDIS should be a police box (What would a US equivalent be? A mailbox? Or a Starbucks branchwe cant be too sneery about product placement). Think how hard the BBC Wales series has worked to restore the Doctors mysteryby his own admission hes gotten too big, too noisy. Start it in America, and you get all the Who? you want for free. And fans will LOVE arguing over whether this new bloke is pre-Hartnell or post-Smith. As for the new bloke